Slutty Brownies.

My neighbor's & BFF's love me.  I bring them brownies.  I tempt them with chocolate and other good things.   Think of what Jesus had to endure in the desert.....  If he can do that for 40 days  then would a simple bag of  brownies do them in??  Who could hate me if I showed up on their door with a bag of these?  Yes, you R.G.  I purposely tempted you with brownies. I knew you gave up sweets for lent.  You can never be mad at me?  Right?  ok...don't answer that.  Should I apologize for something I will most likely do again?  OK.... I know you love me.   Thank you.  Amen.

The baby girl wanted to make this.  She was bored.  There was a picture of them on Pinterest.

The name alone says.........  "Why Not!"   The ease factor says..... "NOW!"  

"Slutty Brownies"

Go buy a brick of cookie dough and mush it into a brownie pan.  Add a layer of Oreos.  Mix up a box of brownies and pour onto the top.  Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes.

This is not Duncan Hines, Oreo or Pillsbury.  It is generic for us today.  Nothing says slutty

...like cheap & easy.  (oh.....yes!  I  just said that.)

NOW.... EAT ONE AND GIVE THE REST AWAY.  SERIOUSLY!  NO ONE NEEDS A PAN OF THESE IN THE HOUSE.

Happiness......

ok.....  I have found it in photoshop.  That little program fills the voids in my life.  Today's challenge for myself was to find a way to create my own png files from a scan.  Whoo-Hoo!  I did it....and managed to embarrass my children in the process!     You know any good-self-respecting Mother would tag them on Facebook.  

In a nutshell, I cut the moustache's out of construction paper and scanned them.  I imported them into photoshop and did a little magic with a lasso and a paintbucket.   BAM!   The rest is just a template I expanded upon.  

My babies should learn to expect something like this from me.   

Is it worth both my time & money to find & do this?

Those are questions that haunt me.  I am constantly thinking.....can I do this cheaper at home?  Will it be worth the effort?  I enjoy the comforts of home.   I enjoy being home with the kids.  I detest going to the grocery store.  I don't mind walking the aisles browsing.  I usually find someone  to chat with for a few minutes.  I enjoy looking around to see what is new on the shelves.  I hate the check-out line.  I hate waiting to pay.  I hate paying.  I always think...this is ridiculous.  Why didn't I find more coupons?  Could this be on sale elsewhere?  Maybe I should have price-matched more?  I also hate getting it all out of the car and sorting into the pantry and refrigerator.

Recently, I started buying instant oatmeal for my children again.  I use the word "children" loosely here.  They are teenagers and they love the Quaker Dinosaur Egg Oatmeal.   They will eat it at every meal if given the option.  The average price for a box  is approximately $2.50.  That was the sale price back in December at Tom Thumb.  Santa Claus left them a box in their stockings this year!!!!  It can be difficult to find.  It is never EVER at Wal-Mart or Target.  I have wasted all kinds of time driving across town trying to find it. When I do find the stuff I always purchase at least 3 boxes.

I tried making this over the weekend.  Over-all, it isn't too bad.   I liked it.  Isn't that enough?   I would like to find a way to make the tiny dinosaur candy eggs.  That would make me both awesome...and amazing.  (There might be some tiny dinosaurs at the mall candy store??) That idea needs to be googled.

would these work?

INSTANT OATMEAL MIX
6 cups oatmeal....    (I think I will pre-toast this stuff on broil the next time I make it.)
1 1/3 cup dry milk
1 cup dried apples, chop them into tiny pieces..(or any type of dried fruit.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or  cloves

Combine all that and store in a dry container.

To serve:  ReShake the container

1/2 cup mix & 1/2 cup water.....microwave 45 seconds.  Stir.  Eat.
or boil the water on stove...add the oatmeal and cook for a minute.  You decide what it best here.
It was kinda thick in the microwave.  The boy-child didn't like the texture.  (He is THAT kind of kid.)
But again, I liked it.    I think a little bit of extra water might be good for the microwave...maybe a Tablespoon or two.

*Rinse the bowl out well.  The bowl residue really becomes glue-like if left waiting on the dish-washer to arrive and do chores.  (yes, learn from my mistakes.....the maid doesn't work here anymore.)

*note...I didn't have the quick cooking oatmeal.  I had the other kind.  I just ran it through the micro-chopper for a few seconds.    I also didn't add the dried fruit.  I am going to add that  after I cook it.

This made a ton.  It was way cheaper than the box stuff.  I liked it and I didn't have to leave the house to find any ingredients.   Score!  Or maybe I am "WINNING!" ??????

A Cup of Chai.

I love the taste of a good hot Chai from Starbucks.  It is comforting to my soul.  It just feels good going down.  However, the price...... hurts my wallet if I go too often.  It is truly a treat.  Yes, about 3.45 cents doesn't seem too great a price.  Honestly, I might go 3 times a month...but  the mental math would hurt at a yearly cost.  I can be a cheap-skate.  Is that a personality flaw?  I hope not.

It seems like everyone is on the band wagon for saving money these days.   Someone pinned this recipe for Chai on Pinterest.  I was skeptical.  Who wouldn't be?  I have been given many different forms of Chai over the years.  Chai powdered mixes.  Chai liquid concentrate.   Chai Recipes.  Chai Spices.  All are BLAH! BLAH! Blah!  With the exception of the TAZO concentrate.....That one is good.   This recipe will be made again.  My daughter, M.G. loved it.  I believe all girls need a little more milk in their lives.  This is a surefire way to get some....and without the caffeine if you use the de-caf bags.

Starbucks Chai Copycat Recipe
3 cups water
3 cups milk (I used Skim.)
6-8 tea bags (the small size)
1/2 cup honey  (Would agave be a good substitute here?)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Boil the water & milk.  Stirring occasionally...you don't want the milk to scald.
Add the rest.  Stir. Turn off the heat.  Cover and steep for 5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and filter through a strainer.

Serve hot or cold.  This was a good money saving substitute....and it was yummy! SCORE!!!!


* 2/5/12   I made this again last night and used agave.  It was just as good.  I ended up steeping it for 10 minutes and it was just as good.  I think I like it a little stronger in tea flavor.

Blueberry Muffins.

It seems like  I have been making these muffins since the dawn of time.  In truth, the recipe is in a book that was given to me by my friend R.B. This book is called  "Lone Star Legacy".  She gave me this book when we moved from Texas the first time.  This equates to about 15 years of muffins.  I tweaked the recipe just a little.  Emeril would say that I gave it some "BAM!"  Either way, my husband loves them because they aren't too sweet and the flavor totally relies on the blueberries.  My 3 children love them....as evidenced by this picture.  Sorry ladies, but this boy is mine...

The guy will cross his eyes on command when he wants to be annoying.  It is a talent of his.  Some kids are musically gifted and some are athletic.  My "PRECIOUS" can cross his eyes at will.  He can also rotate them in opposite directions...... now that takes skill.  I can brag that all my children possess this talent.  Can money be made with this talent?  College Scholarships?  Employment opportunities?  Anyone?

Back to the Blueberry Muffins....You gotta make these.  They are so much better than the box mixes.  They are simple.  They are blueberry.  Love .....

2 cups flour
1/2 cup of sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup milk- I use skim milk.
1/3 cup canola oil or applesauce
1 egg, slightly beaten
sugar, for garnish (turbinado sugar really looks pretty if you have it!)

Combine the dry ingredients with the blueberries.
Combine the wet ingredients and stir into the dry.
Sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake @ 400 for 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!  Your family will thank me & you for this!  I promise!

Tramp got a hair cut!!!!

Isn't this guy the cutest dog ever????  He is 2 1/2 years now.  

103 little Excuses...

103 Excuses for All Occasions Just in case you are looking for one, here's a handy-dandy little list of excuses for future reference. You should be able to find something here to suit almost every occasion that requires an excuse for a goof, mistake, oversight, or need to say no to something you should not or do not want to do. I didn't mean it. I didn't do it. Wasn't me. Someone else did it. The little man did it. The dog ate it. The cat carried it away. Don't know what you're talking about. Huh? You've confused me with my evil twin. I was in Alaska. I don't drive that kind of car. I joined the Rotary Club and was too busy rotating things to have done that. You must be talking about the new girl. I never park my car there so it couldn't have been me. Grey's Anatomy is on. My cellphone was dead. The Internet was (is) down. I had to (have to) reboot my computer. I didn't get enough sleep. My car is out of gas. My husband took my keys with him. A water pipe broke in our backyard. All of my exercise clothes are in the washer. My shoelace broke. I need a new battery. I have a virus. My computer has a virus. I'm too old. I'm too young. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. So-and-so will get mad at me if I do that, so I better not. The football game is on. I had (have) a flat tire. They were out of that. That's not good for people. That's just the way I am. I just had surgery. I don't know how to do it. It snowed last night. I have to wash my hair. I don't have time. Project Runway is on. The can opener broke. I need to take time off of work to do that, and I can't take time off. I fell asleep. I was busy talking to [name] and couldn't be interrupted. I was at the hair dresser's. My hem ripped. I don't know where to begin. I need to go shopping. I need to clean out my refrigerator. I need to clean my kitchen. I don't have any healthy recipes. My family doesn't like healthy food. I don't have time to cook. I don't have the right ingredients. Other things are more important. It's time for bed. My brain is tired. I'll start tomorrow. I'll do that when I get rich. It's a waste of money. I can't do it. The Boogie Man will get me. They stole my chance. I only get one chance per life and that was it. It's easier if I don't try it. I'm comfortable right now. It takes too long to learn. I'm too old to learn new things. I don't have time to learn new things. It's the other person's fault. Talk to them. My alarm didn't go off. I woke up late, and there wasn't time. I forgot the time. I had a crisis I had to take care of. I lost my keys. I had a flat tire. I wrote down the date wrong. I thought I had more money in my account. I misplaced my phone. I went to the wrong address. I hit the wrong button. I ran out of paper. I ran out of printer ink. My hard drive failed. I just never got around to it. I meant to do it. It was on my list of things to do. I lost my list. Was that today? I thought it was tomorrow. Someone called me and made me lose track of time. I didn't think it would take so long to get here. Someday I'll do it. I just didn't think about it too much. I tried once. People like me can't do amazing things like that. I don't have enough talent. I'm too lazy. I don't want to. Please make my excuses for me. Facebook...I needed to update my status. Pinterest...